Re: Wireless interface fails to initialize fully; still need to get DHCP manually

[Mark Fletcher <mark27q1@yahoo.com>]

Tim Beauregard wrote:

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> Robert Glueck wrote:
>  
>
> > Adam Porter wrote:
> >    
> >
> > > I'm not an expert, and I have no experience with
> > > ndiswrapper, but I'll try
> > > to help.  Please post your /etc/network/interfaces file.
> > >      
>
> I may have missed the entire point of the thread as I've only just
> resubscribed but here is my working wireless setup:
>
> apt-get install ndiswrapper-source wpasupplicant ifplugd
> kernel-2.6.*-source etc (I'm not sure about ndiswrapper-utils)
> (requires self-compiled kernel and modules ie
> make-kpkg kernel_source modules_source)
>
> Set up your files as below:
>
> /etc/network/interfaces
>
> # This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
> # and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).
>
> # The loopback network interface
> auto lo
> iface lo inet loopback
>
> # The primary network interface
> allow-hotplug eth0
> iface eth0 inet dhcp
>
> allow-hotplug wlan0
> iface wlan0 inet dhcp
>
> # iface dsl-provider inet ppp
> # provider dsl-provider
>
> /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
>
> # Minimal /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf to associate with open
> #  access points. Please see
> #  /usr/share/doc/wpasupplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf.gz for more complete
> #  configuration parameters.
>
> ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
> ctrl_interface_group=0
>
> eapol_version=1
> ap_scan=1
> fast_reauth=1
>
> ### Associate with any open access point
> ###  Scans/ESSID changes can be done with wpa_cli
> # network={
> #         ssid="tim"
> #         key_mgmt=NONE
> # }
>
> # Only WPA-PSK is used. Any valid cipher combination is accepted.
> network={
>        ssid="goodview"
>        proto=WPA
>        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
>        pairwise=CCMP TKIP
>        group=CCMP TKIP WEP104 WEP40
>        psk=**********************[edited for my own security!]
>        priority=5
> }
>
> /etc/default/wpasupplicant
>
> # /etc/default/wpasupplicant
>
> # WARNING! Make sure you have a configuration file!
>
> ENABLED=1
>
> # Useful flags:
> #  -D <driver>          Wireless drive, typically optional.
> #  -i <ifname>          Interface
> #  -c <config file>     Configuration file
> #  -d                   Debugging (-dd for more)
> #  -w                   Wait for interface to come up
>
> # See the manual page wpa_supplicant(1) for more options and information.
>
> OPTIONS="-w -i wlan0 -D ndiswrapper -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf"
>
> # EXAMPLES:
>
> # OPTIONS="-i wlan0 -D hostap -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf"
> # OPTIONS="-i ath0 -D madwifi -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf"
>
> Once these files are set up, run the command
>
> ndiswrapper -i bcmwl5.inf in the directory where that file resides (I
> use /usr/src) (you also need bcmwl5.sys in the same directory)
>
> then
>
> insmod ndiswrapper
>
> You can check with ndiswrapper -l
>
> Hope this all helps,
>
> Tim
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>  
I had exactly the same problem -- with different hardware. The cause was 
that PCMCIA services are started in the boot / startup sequence AFTER 
networking is set up, so at the time the startup procedure is trying to 
connect to your network PCMCIA services are not running.

By the time the boot has completed, PCMCIA services are started, so now 
an attempt to connect to the network works.

Solution is, check your /etc/rcS.d directory and your /etc/rcX.d where X 
is the runlevel the machine boots to by default, and find the SXXpcmcia 
link which will point to something in /etc/init.d. Files in here 
beginning with S are executed in order at startup, first the content of 
rcS.d then the target runlevel. So, as root, change the XX number 
between S and pcmcia to something less than the number attached to the 
startup script for your networking. Then PCMCIA services should get 
started first and be available when the networking attempts to initialise.

Other thing I notice is your /etc/interfaces file doesn't seem (unless 
I'm being blind) to "auto" your wireless interface. The boot sequence 
will only attempt to initialise interfaces that have the auto keyword 
defined in /etc/interfaces (it does ifup -a which starts those 
interfaces with an auto keyword). cf your loopback lo interface in your 
interfaces file quoted above.

HTH

Mark